2023-01-19 - According to *The Brantford Daily Expositor* of March 14, 1892, states that the new organ was given by Mrs. John Harris, costing $3,000, and with the facade pipes "painted and gilded in the most varied hues." The Bell Organ Company produced reed organs, and evidently a very small number of pipe organs, but it is clear that this instrument was plagued by numerous problems as it was rebuilt by S. R. Warren & Sons of Toronto two years later. From *The Expositor* of July 7, 1894: "The organ of the First Baptist Church has been opened once more, and to all apperances under different circumstances from the opening on March 24, 1892. On the occasion of the former opening the organ proved altogether unsatisfactory and the church left it on the hands of the contractors. The trouble was settled only a few months ago, and since then the organ has been undergoing many changes, or rather repairs, and is now one of the finest in the city ... The whole organ has been thoroughly gone over and many weak points corrected. Among its failings it would not be amiss to note a few of the most glaring ones. The wind supply was most troublesome. Two bellows and a larger blower have been added, together with a complete system of cut-off valves and larger main conveyances to do away with the very violent noise and rattling caused by the motor and blowers as first put in. The position of the blowers motor has been changed so that the consequent noise at such high speed is deadened to a fraction of its former uproar. All the power bellows have been re-modelled, better material being used as the first bellows showed many signs of wear, though only used a few times. The repetition of the valve work in manual, pedal and stop action has been most carefully attended to, devices being used to render the action instantaneously responsive, a failure which the original builders could not remedy. The quickness of response is now equal to any in the city which is saying a good deal, as Brantford can boast of a number of very fine instruments. The whole pipe work has been conscientiously regulated so the organ has a multitude of superb effects ... The Rev. Mr. Johnston, at the supper given by the ladies after the recital, in a neat speech said that he, the committee, and the church people in general felt gratified to know that the organ after being condemned on all hands for its inefficiency, in fact leading them to believe it was no good, had proved that in the hands of competent men it was capable of such good work, as they had all heard for themselves during the concert." -Andrew Henderson
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